preview

Barossa Valley Research Paper

Decent Essays

Kikj09r5

Introduction

As a qualified agronomist, employed by a wealthy vigneron, the aim of this extended research task is to support and advise the best practises and producers to establish a new 50 hectare vineyard in the prestigious Barossa Valley located 60 kilometres North-East of Adelaide(fig. 1). Also included in this study is the characteristic of the soils and climate of this area. The trellis support and irrigation of the crop with also be taken into account, along with the most suitable grape for the area and market for winemaking. The preparation towards the soil before the planting procedure begins and wether to use grafted vines or cuttings for vineyard is crucial for efficient production. Composing recommendations for …show more content…

The different two main soil types that exist in the Barossa valley are brown, loamy sandy clay loam and sandy light-brownish grey to dark grey brown soils both are generally regarded as low in fertility.

1.2 Climate - The Barossa Valley generally has a Mediterranean climate meaning that this climate is characterized as having hot, dry summer and mild winters and rainfall using recorded during the winter months. Although there has been a wide range of mesoclimates due to sloping hills and transverse valleys.
1.2.1 Rainfall – Rainfall in the Barossa area is usually occurred during the winter months from 45-70mm with low rainfall during the summer months with ranges of 10-20mm (Fig. 3).
1.2.2 Sunshine - During the summer months there is an average of 9.33 hours of sunlight with the top of ten hours in February. During the winter months there is only 5 hours of sunshine a day (Fig. 4)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Sunshine hours 10 9 8 7 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 9
Daylight hours 14.2 13.3 12.3 11.2 10.3 9.9 10.1 10.9 11.9 13.0 13.9 14.4
Fig. …show more content…

There are many factors that contribute in selecting the right trellis for the crop this is because growth habits, environmental factors, Vine Vigor and mechanization all have crucial aspects to how well the crop produces. Some of these different methods include non-divided canopy system such as; Umbrella Kniffin, high bilateral cordon and vertical shoot Position (VSP). There are also divided canopy systems that incorporate; Geneva Double Curtain, Lyre, Scott Henry and smart Dyson trellises. The best fitting trellis system for the Barossa valley for the climate is the high bilateral cordon trellis this is also one of the main trellises used for commercial grape growing. As Shown in (fig.5) the high bilateral cordon trellis is comprised by two wires strung together run along at 1 and halve meters above ground level with plants spaced 1 – 2 meters apart. This allows for great light and spray penetration, this method also yields higher quality yields. The high bilateral cordon trellis makes for easy pruning and picking and also requires little to no tying. It also provides some frost protection with the high

Get Access